Tractor



w. G. ELILIS 2,272,603

TRACTOR Feb. 10, 1942.

4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 6, 1941 3nventor;

W mun/w GOEDONELL/S (ittornegs Feb. 10, 1942. w E LI Q 2,272,603

TRACTOR Filed Jan. 6, 1941 4 SheetsSheet 2 Sweater VV/LLIFIM EURDONELUSGttomegS W. G. ELLIS Feb. 10, 1942.

TRACTOR Filed Jan. 6, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Z'mventor: WILL/HMfioeoonELL/s (Ittorneg 8 W. G. ELLIS Feb. 10, 1942.

TRACTOR Filed Jan. 6, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 v (Ittomeg s Patented Feb.10, 1942 UNITED ,STATES PATlEZNT OFFICE rnnc'ron William Gordon Ellis,Shelby, N. 0.

Application January 6, 1941, Serial No. 373,341

1 Claim. (Cl. 180-26) This invention relates to tractors and moreespecially to an improved design so constructed that the turning andtraction qualities are more effective. It is often very desirable tohave a tractor constructed so that it can be maneuvered in and out ofclose places such as fence corners or alongside terraces, ditch banksand the like. maneuverability is particularly important when the tractoris employed to draw some other trailing implement such as a plow, harrowor the like. Where a short turn mustbe made, the tractor and associatedimplements can be operated in difilcult areas which would otherwise beinaccessible with tractors having steering equipment with a long radiusof turn.

There is also much dimculty encountered during the operation ofconventional tractors on account of the lack of means for drivingcertain of the wheels when the other wheels begin to spin. Such troubleis more noticeable with tractors employing a differential between thedriving 'wheels. because the wheel offered the least resistance by theground will often turn while the companion wheel stands still.

It is an object of this invention to provide a tractor having positivelydriven dirigible front and'rear wheels so that the above-nameddifiiculties heretofore encountered in conventional tractors can belargely eliminated. When each of the wheels are positively driven andsteered,

' the likelihood of the tractor becoming stuckin mud or soil is verymuch reduced, because all of the wheels can be driven in unison from onesource of power and can be directed more eil'ectively to follow adesired course.

It is another object of this invention to Provide a tractor of the classdescribed having a pair of positively driven dirigible front wheel unitsand a single dirigible rear wheel unit which is also positively driven,in combination with a clutch for disconnecting the rear wheel unit fromthe driving means. There is much advantage to be gained in having thepair of wheel units at the front of the tractor, and in having thesingle wheel unit at the rear of the tractor, especially when operatingthe tractor on a hillside. In hillside operations, there is a tendencyfor the rear end of most tractors to skid laterally of its course oftravel towarda lower level. This skidding can be largely eliminated byhaving the rear wheels dirigible so that these wheels or wheel can beset at the desired angle to prevent the skidding.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a tractor of. theclass described having a novel power steering apparatus which willemploy the power of the tractor motor instead of the manual efiort ofthe driver for steering the tractor. It is well known that most vehiclesare more easily steered while in motion that while stationary,especially, in the case of tractors whose wheels often operate in loosesoil and the like. By employing the power of the tractor motor forturning these wheels, the present invention makes it possible for thetractor to be steered as easily when stationary as when in motion so faras the manual effort of the driver is concerned.

some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objectswill appear as the description proceeds, when taken in connection withthe accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of myimproved tractor;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the tractor;

Figure 3 is an elevation looking at the righthand end of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the line 4-4 inFigure 1, through the clutch mechanism for disconnecting the dirigiblerear wheel unit from the tractor motor;

Figure 5 is a schematic plan view of the tractor illustrating animproved power steering mechanism;

Figure 6 is an enlarged detail view showing the connection between thepower steering mechanism and the main drive shaft of the motor;

Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 1-1 in Figure6.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the numeral l0 broadlydesignates the main framework of my improved tractor, which frameworkcomprises essentially of two diverging sidemembers H and I2, havingcross strut members l4, l5 and I6 connecting the diverging ends atspaced intervals. A suitable power unit such as an internal combustionengine I! is supported by cross members It and I5. This power unit has aconventional transmission l8 which drives a sprocket l9 upon which achain 20 is mounted.

Chain 20 is also mounted upon a. second sprocket 2| on drive shaft 22,and this drive shaft has its ends rotatably mounted in suitable bearings23 and 24. (See Figures 1, 2 and 4.) The bearing 24 is an integral partof housing 25, which housing is employed for encasing a beveled gearedconnection, comprising pinions 21 and 28. The pinion 21 is fixedlysecured on the right hand end of shaft 22, whereas the pinion 28 isfixedly secured upon a shaft 29 which is disposed substantially at rightangles to the shaft 22.

Each end of the shaft has a pinion an mounted thereon which meshes withanother pinion or gear 3| on the upper end of each of the verticallydisposed shafts 32. In other words, 1

each end of the shaft 28 drives a front wheel unit. Each unit issubstantially the same in construction: therefore like referencecharacters will be given like parts and a detail description will bemade only of one unit. For convenience of description, the front wheelunits will be broadly designated by the reference characters 34 and 35.By referring to Figure 3. the detail construction of the wheel unitswill be more clearly understood. It is here seen that the lower end ofthe vertically disposed shaft 32 has a beveled geared connectionassociated therewith comprising a pinion 31 which meshes with a gear 38,said gear 38 being fixedly secured upon axle or shaft 39. Each end ofthe axle or shaft 39 has fixedly secured thereon a wheel 48. The wheels48 of units 34 and 35 are disposed in pairs and are spaced apart fromeach other a sufficient distance to permit the lower forked ends ofsleeves 4| and Ma respectively to be mounted around the retating axles39.

Sleeve 4| extends upwardly and acts as a bearing for vertically disposedshaft 32. The exterior of the sleeve 4| is rotatably mounted in bearing42 which is removably secured to one corner of the framework I8 by anysuitable means such as bolts 43.

In order to insur that the gears 38 and 3| will be properly lubricatedat all times a housing 46 has been provided which encases these membersand serves to hold a' suitable supply of oil or other lubricant therein.

Each of the housings 46 has integral therewith a bearing 41 which servesas a support for the ends of shaft 29. The shaft 29 has its intermediateportion journaled in a bearing 49 which is an integral part of housing25 supported by the cross member I4. Likewise the housing 25 serves as ameans for maintaining a supply of lubricant for the beveled gears 21 and28.

In order tomaintain a supply of lubricant for the beveled gears 31 and88 which are disposed between the spaced wheels 48, a similar housing 52is provided.

As heretofore stated the wheel units 34 and 35 are located at the frontof the tractor framework l8, and are adapted to be steered in unisonduring the operation of the tractor. In order that both wheel units willmove together it is necessary to provide a suitable arm 55 which extendsrearwardly from the sleeve 4| of unit 34 (see Figure 1). Pivotallyconnected to the rear end of arm 55 as at 51 is a cross link 58, theother end of which is pivoted as at 59 to a second arm 68, which extendsrearwardly from sleeve 4|a of the wheel unit 35. It is seen that thelink 58 is bent as at 8| (Figure 1) so that the proper clearance betweenthe wheel unit and the link will be provided during turning. In otherwords, by having the link 58 bent as shown the wheels can be turnedsubstantially at right angles to th position shown in the drawingswithout the link striking the wheels.

The sleeve 4|a of the wheel unit 35 has a worm gear 82 fixedlysecured-therearound, substantially at the same level as the top of thewheel unit. Meshing with this gear is a worm 83 on one end of a shaft84, said shaft being journaled in bearings 85 and 86. The other end ofth shaft 64 has fixedly secured thereon a beveled gear 61 which mesheswith a second beveled gear 88 on the lower end of steering column- 89,and the upper end of the steering column has a suitable steering wheel18 fixed thereon which is employed by the driver for turning the wheelunit in the desired direction during the operation of the tractor. Asuitable 'seat II is provided at a convenient location on the tractorframework for the drivers use during normal operation of the tractor.

It will be noted that there is one difference between the sleeves 4| andMa of wheel units 34 and 35 respectively, in that the worm gear 82 isomitted from sleeve 4|. Obviously the reason for this omission is thatthere is no necessity for driving the wheel unit 34 positively from twodifferent sources since the link 58 and arms and 68 are provided forthis purpose. If desired. suitable ball bearings 15 may be providedaround sleeves 4| and Ma and below the bearings 42 in order to reducethe friction between the parts at these points during the steering ofthe wheel units 34 and 35.

The transmission I8 is equipped with a conventional gear shift lever 18,the upper end of which is preferably disposed in close proximity to thedriver's seat II. This lever may be operated in a conventional manner toregulate the speed at which the wheel units are driven. Also thetransmission is equipped with a suitable clutch pedal 'I'I which islikewise disposed in close proximity to the drivers seat and which isused when it is desired to change gears within the transmission housingI8.

By'referring to Figures 1 and 4 it is seen that the left-hand end of thshaft 22 is also journaled in a suitable upstanding bracket I8, saidbracket being supported by floor 19 which, in turn, is supported bycross members I5 and II as well as side members II and I2. Bracket orstand 78 has a cavity 88 therein for housing a suitable clutchmechanism. This clutch mechanism comprises a disk 8| which is sli'dablykeyed on shaft 22 as at 82, said disk having integral therewith agrooved hub 83 which accommodates suitable pins 84 in the upper end of aforked member 85. The lower end of the forked member 85 is fixedlysecured around a shaft 88 and this shaft extends to the exterior of thhousing and has a suitable foot lever 86a forming an integral partthereof, which pedal is adapted t to b engaged by the operator's footwhen it is desired to slide the disk 8| along the shaft 22.

A spring 88 is disposed around th shaft 22 between the grooved hub 83and the interior face of the cavity 88. This spring normally tends tomove the disk 8| to the left in Figure 4 and into engagement with acompanion disk 89 on another shaft 98. The shaft 98 has one end thereofrotatably journaled in bracket 18 and its other end journaled in bearing8|.

.In Figure 4 the clutch disks 8| and '88 are shown in a disengagedposition and in such a position it is necessary for downward pressure tobe applied to the foot pedal a. During normal operation, when there isno pressure exerted upon foot pedal 88a, the spring 88 causes theproximate faces of the disks 8| and 88 to become engaged and thereforeconnects the shaft 88 with the power unit I 1.

The shaft 98 serves to drive a single rear wheel unit broadly designatedby the reference character 94. The mounting and the essential structureof this wheel unit are identical to that of the wheel unit 35 previouslydescribed and therefore another description will not be made but likereference characters will be given like parts. The steering mechanismhowever, for the rear wheel unit 94 is slightly diiIerent. This steeringmechanism comprises a worm 91 disposed upon one end of a horizontallydisposed shaft 99, which shaft is rotatably mounted in bearings 99 andI00. The right-hand end of the shaft 90 in Figure 2 has a beveled gearIOI fixedly secured thereon and this beveled gear meshes with anotherbeveled gear I02 on the lower end of a vertically disposed steeringcolumn I03. The upper end of the steering column has a suitable steeringwheel I04 mounted thereon which is disposed in close proximity to thedriver's seat II. In other words, the rear wheel unit 94 is steeredindependently of the front wheel units 34 and 35.

The advantages of having a single positively driven dirigible rear wheelunit, independently operable of the front wheel units, is very much inevidence when operating the tractor on ahillside. In hillsideoperations, there is a tendency for therear end of a tractor to skidlaterally of its line of travel to a lower level, and therefore make itVeryIdifiicult to hold the tractor framework in the proper position foraccomplishing the particular duty which it must perform. Should thepresent tractor be operating upon a hillside and theskidding of the rearwheel unit should begin, it would be only necessary to operate thesteering wheel I04 so as to set-the rear wheel unit 94 at the properangle to compensate for this skidding. At the same time, the' rear wheelunit is positively driven along with the front wheel units 34 and 35thereby eliminating to a large degree the possibility of the tractorbecoming stuck or stalled in soft ground.

One purpose of providing the clutch mechanism as shown in Figure 4 is tofacilitate the turning of the tractor. It is often desirable, especiallywhen making short turns, to disconnect the rear wheel unit 94 from theengine and allow the tractor to be propelled by the front wheels only.In such case it is only necessary to depress the i'oot pedal 85a, andthe clutch disks 8| and 89 will be disengaged. Attention is called tothev fact that all of the wheels may be turned at substantially rightangles to the position shown in the drawings, thereby making it possibleto rotate the entire tractor framework about the vertical center line ofthe tractor. wheels may be turned at such an angle that the frameworkmay be rotated about either the front wheels or the back wheel as apivot. In case it should be desired to turn the tractor framework aboutthe ,vertical center line of the tractor, it.

would be necessary to turn the front wheels at substantially a 90degreeangle to the longitudinal axis of the framework of the tractor so thatthey will move in one direction and to rotate the rear wheel unit 94 toa position substantially at right angles to the longitudinal center lineof the tractor so that it will move in the opposite direction. Such anarrangement has the advantage of making the tractor capable ofmaneuvering in very close places and also in pulling itself out of verydiflicult places which would otherwise be impossible were a difierentialstructure provided between the driven wheels.

Figures 5, 6 and '7 show an improved type of power steering mechanismwhich may be used with the present embodiment of the invention so thatthe driver will be relieved of much physical effort when steering thetractor. In this form of the invention like referenc characters will begiven to like parts and a description will only be If desired the crossshaft I22. a worm I23 thereon for meshing with worm gears with primenotation added thereto.

made of'the structural changes employed. In this form of the invention asuitable housing I08 has been interposed between the power unit I1 andthe transmission I8. This housing has a conventional drive shaft I0'Iextending therethrough, uponwhich is fixedly secured suitable spaceddisks I08 and I09. Disposed between these disks in a normally disengagedposition and along one side of the shaft I0! is a suitable roller IIOmade of fiber or the like, which roller is fixedly secured upon a shaftI I I, said shaft being rotatably mounted in bearing H2. The bearing II2has integral therewtih a downwardly extending spindle II3 which isrotatably mounted in the lower portion of easing I05 (Figure 7).

In order to normally hold the fiber roller 0 in a non-contactingposition with the disks I09 and I09, suitable compression springs II4are provided on each side of the bearing 2 (see Figure 6). These springsare normally confined against bearing II2 by means of suitableadjustment screws -I I5 which are threadably secured on the interior ofthe casing.

The end of the shaft III has a beveled pinion IIB fixed thereon whichmeshes with a beveled gear III said beveled gear II'I being rotatablearound spindle II3. Beveled gear III also has meshing therewith abeveled gear or pinion 8 on one end of a shaft H9, and this shaft has abeveled gear I20 (Figure 5) on th other end thereof which meshes withbeveled gear I2I'on Each end of cross shaft I22 has I24, each of whichare associated with one of the front wheel units 34 and 35 previouslydescribed.

The worm gears I24 are located substantially in the same positionrelative to the wheel units as the worm gears 62 previously described.It is therefore seen that when the fiber roller H0 is rotated intoengagement with either of the disks I08 or 409 that the wheel units 34and 35 will be turned through the medium of parts IIO, III, H6, H1, H8,H9, I20, I2I, I22, I23 and I24.

In order to determin which disk the roller IIO will engage to determinethe direction in which the wheel'units 34, 35 are turned, a suitable armI25 has been secured on the lower end of spindle H3 at a. point belowthe housing I06. (See Figures 6 and 7.) Pivotally secured to the freeend of the arm I25 is a link I25, the other end of which is pivotallysecured to an arm I21 on the lower end of steering column 69. When thesteering wheel I0 is rotated by the operator, this rotation will beimparted to the spindle H3 and bearing II2 to thereby cause the fibergear 0' to selectively engage one of the disks I08 or I09 to cause thepower unit II to steer the front wheel units.

In order to provide a similar power steering mechanism for the rearwheel unit 94 an identical structure has been provided, and thereforeanother description will not be made, but like reference characters willbe given to like parts It willbe noted that this mechanism is located onthe opposite side of the drive shaft I01 from the mechanism previouslydescribed. The gear 1' has a pinion I30 meshing therewith, which pinionis I fixedly secured on one end of shaft I3I. The other end of the shaftI3I has a worm I32 fixedly secured thereon which meshes with worm gearI33, said worm gear I33 being substantially the same, and located atsubstantially the same place relative to wheel unit 94, as the worm gear62 shown in Figure 2.

In order to cause the fiber roller 0' to selectively engage one of thedisks I08 and I09, a suitable arm I35 is fixedly secured on the lowerend of spindle H3. The free end of this arm has a link I38 connectedthereto, the other end of said link being connected to the free end ofan arm IS! on the lower end of steering column I03. By turning thesteering wheel I04, which is located on the upper end of the steeringcolumn I03, the roller I I0 can be caused to engage either of the disksI08 or I09 to thereby cause the power of the motor to supplant thephysical effort of the driver whensteering the tractor.

Another advantage of this tractor is in having all of the power in thewheels in turning. When turning other tractors, one of the rear wheelsmust be stopped leaving onlyone wheel to do the pulling. When othertractors are headed down hill and start turning the front end uphill itis impossible to turn short unless the load is very light. v

In the drawings and specification, there has been set forth a preferredembodiment of the invention, and although specific terms are employed,they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not forpurposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being set forth inthe following claim.

I claim:

In a tractor having two spaced front steer-.- able wheel units and asingle steerable rear wheel unit, each of said wheel units comprising avertically disposed sleeve mounted for rotation near its upper end inthe frame. a; vertically disposed shaft rotatably mounted in the sleeve,a transverse shaft mounted in the lower end of the sleeve and extendingat each end beyond the sleeve, a wheel fixed on each end of the shaft, ageared connection between the vertical shaft and the transverse shaft, amotor on the tractor, a rigid shaft driven by the motor and extendinglongitudinally of the tractor and having a driving connection with thevertical shaft of the rear wheel unit, a second rigid shaft disposed inalinement with the first rigid shaft, a clutch between the proximateends of the shafts, a driving connection between the second shaft andthe motor, a transversely disposed rigid shaft disposed between the twofront wheel units, a geared connection between the transversely disposedshaft and the second shaft, a geared connection between the ends of thetransversely disposed shaft and each of the vertical shafts of the frontwheel units whereby th two front wheels will be driven at the same speedunder all directions of travel, means for moving said clutch todisconnect the second shaft from the first shaft to thereby disconnectthe engine from the rear wheel unit.

WILLIAM GORDON ELLIS.

